Study on Stiffness Parameters of the Hardening Soil Model in Sandy Gravel Stratum

Abstract

Sandy gravel stratum is very common in tunnels and underground engineering projects. The accurate determination of mechanical parameters is crucial for engineering design and construction. The Hardening Soil (HS) Model, which accounts for both shear hardening and compression hardening, has demonstrated advantages in numerical simulations. This study conducts large-scale mechanical experiments, including triaxial drained shear tests, loading-unloading tests, and standard consolidation tests, on sandy gravel specimens. The results reveal that the ratio of the three stiffness parameters in the HS Model, namely Young’s modulus under triaxial loading (E50), oedometric loading (Eoed), and unloading-reloading (Eur) is 1:1:4.3. The validity of the established stiffness ratio relationship is verified through numerical simulations of a foundation pit project and comparison with field monitoring data, demonstrating a consistent agreement between the simulation results and actual monitoring values.